Thieves removed a graffiti masterpiece from a wall with an angle grinder - and tried to sell it for £20,000.

The stolen piece is the work of Bristol's famous graffiti bandit, Banksy.

Found just below a "no ball games" sign in Gloucester Gardens, central London, the graffiti showed a mischievous rat playing with a ball.

The culprits put their loot up for sale on Ebay with a £20,000 asking price.

Ebay has since removed the item from the site.

Graffiti works by Banksy fetched as much as £50,000 a piece at a recent Sotheby's auction.

So far, police have not taken any action.